Category: Hungary - WANDERING WITH WILLIAM

On to Vienna

11/2/2018

Friday morning we shower, have a little breakfast, finish packing, tidy and up the apartment and then head off to Kelati station pulling our bags behind us.  Within 30 minutes we are at the station.  The train is scheduled to leave in an hour so we have time for a coffee.

The train is clean and we have a smooth 2 1/2 hour ride to Vienna.  The owner of the apartment provided us with transportation instructions involving two buses.  Instead we taxi to apartment with a driver chatting, pointing out the buildings and providing tips along the way.

We settle into the apartment. It is not as inspiring as our place in Budapest, but still has high ceilings and older wood floors.  It is nice and matches the photos on AirBnB.  It is only five blocks from the western edge of the inner ring road that circles the major museums, cultural centers and government buildings.

We don't want to tackle the tourist areas this evening. Using Google maps we look for nearby Austrian restaurants. We find Gasthaus Josefstädter which is five to six blocks away to the north. It's a family establishment, with papa tending bar as well as the nearby tables. He helps translate some of the menu items from German to English for us. William orders a local beer and a plate of sausages wrapped in bacon. I choose a glass of Grüner Veltliner and a dinner of roast pork, dumplings and red cabbage. Mmmmm!

Szentendre

10/31/2018

We've heard about an artsy town outside of Budapest called Szentendre.  There's half-day small group trips available but research shows us that it is the last stop on one of the commuter train lines.

We take the tram to a block from Batthyány tér.  From there we follow Google Maps to get to the H5 suburban train.  The train rambles northward through the city of Budapest and more suburban areas for 40 minutes until we stop at the small town of Szentendre.

There is a map of the city center at the end of the train track and arrows painted on the ground saying "Centre".  I think we can do this!

Our first stop is going to be the local museum, but we find a sign on the door stating it is closed for technical reasons.  No matter.  We walk further into this cute town and stop for coffees and a shacher torte at the Marzipan Cafe.  Apparently there is a marzipan museum in the back, but it doesn't call to us.

Pumped up on caffeine and sugar we walk along the cobblestone streets a few blocks to the town center.  Colorful small shops and restaurants line the streets.  The lights stretched across the streets cleverly include lamp shades.  The vines growing on the walls have turned their fall colors.  Very pretty!

We hope to see the interior of the Serbian Orthodox Church of the Assumption but it is closed for renovations.  Too bad!  We pop into some of the artesian shops, examining their handicraft and art.  In one we select a ceramic figurine as a remembrance of Hungary.

It's been two hours since the coffee and cake so it must be lunchtime.  We choose one of the restaurants along the square and have a traditional Hungarian meal.   After lunch we take a slight different route through the Centre to arrive back on the street leading to the train station.  Within 15 minutes we are on the train and traveling back to Budapest.

With the time change, The sunlight gives us a wonderful opportunity. Upon our arrival in Budapest, we walk to Margit bridge and take photos of Parliament and the Danube. From here it is easy to catch the tram back to the apartment. A perfect ending to a picturesque day.

The 1896 M1 Line

10/30/2018

It's a busy Tuesday, further exploring the city then working remotely in the mid-afternoon into evening.

We take the street car to the Octagon stop then walk across the street and downstairs to the M1 subway, known locally as the underground. This is the first subway line built in Hungary, and has been in constant operation since 1896. The train cars seem to be the originals but they have been maintained and updated through the years.

We get out at Hero's Square. The Fine Arts Museum remains closed to the general public, but there is an invitation only event occurring - perhaps in advance of the general reopening anticipated for November. Unfortunately we cannot sneak through the security checkpoints. Could it be William's Hawaiian shirt and my jungle print running jacket?

Our next stop is just north of Hero's Square at the Agriculture Museum. There at least a hundred in line awaiting admittance, 70% below the age of 10. Nope. Not for us today. We have a nice coffee in the patio restaurant on the pond and plot our next steps.

The Hall of Art is a contemporary art museum opposite the Fine Arts Museum on Hero's Square. Let's try that. The neoclassical structure was built in 1896 for the millennium celebrations (not the ones that any of us would remember, the thousandth anniversary of the arrival of the Magyars). It is somewhat humorous when the ticket agent explains that it is contemporary art and asks us two times if that is okay with us. Perhaps she can see into our souls, revealing that we often struggle to fully appreciate contemporary art. We gladly pay the admission fee and proceed to the exhibits. There are 12 galleries, most with a few interesting pieces. Two galleries contain masks, many ghoulish; appropriate for Halloween, though that was not their original intent.

We return to the apartment and I setup for some hours at my consulting gig. Ah - the flexibility brought by the internet and remote work. :-)

The New York Cafe

10/29/2018

Máté from Fat Boy Foodies tour as well as Conor and Jenny recommended dining at the New York Cafe.  We check out the menu online and brunch sounds wonderful.  To minimize any issues, I make a 9:30 am reservation through the website.

The Café is in the New York Palace Hotel, an Italian Renaissance-style building.  In the early 1900's  it was considered the most beautiful coffee house in Budapest.  Writers gathered and newspapers were edited here.  After WWII if fell into disrepair, for a while serving as a sporting goods store.  I can't help but to think of the movie The Grand Budapest Hotel.  In 2006 it was restored to the beauty it once was.

There's a little bit of a class-system at work when we approach the reservation  desk; guests of the hotel are seated on the lower level near the buffet, while the rest of us are seated upstairs.  We quickly see that this is a tourist destination, with selfie sticks and camera phones capturing the moment at many tables. A line out the door is used by those without reservations.

The surroundings are beautiful and our waitress is very polite and professional.  She explains the menu, the options on the buffet and that she will serve our coffee or tea.  I am in a festive mood and would like to have a glass of prosecco.  I'm delighted when she explains I can serve myself to prosecco at the buffet.  There is a good variety of foods and sweets on the buffet and we take our time eating, enjoying our surroundings and watching the antics of the tourists.  Our only disappointment is that the food is warm, but not hot.  We are happy we dined here.

We waddle the 900 meters back to our apartment where we recover from the large meal and spend time on the internet and processing photos. By mid-afternoon we agree we need to get out and walk a bit. In a few days we leave for Vienna from Kaleti train station, so we go check it out. The M4 subway goes directly to Kaleti, and the Rákóczi tér stop is less than a ten minute walk from the apartment. We imagine ourselves pulling roller luggage and find that it will be fairly easy. Yeah!

Since Kaleti is in a part of the city we have not yet explored, we walk around the area near the station and pick a very local restaurant for dinner. The waiter seems to be delighted that some obvious tourists have come into his restaurant. We have a tasty meals of beef goulash and grilled pork chop with beer and wine for 30% less than the places closer to our apartment charge. A good experience!

Terror & Swing

10/28/2018

After breakfast we walk to the tram which takes us to the House of Terror Museum. Since this is so close to Halloween, you might think scary spooks and ghouls, but this museum is much more frightening. It is a remembrance of the terror during both the Nazi and Communist regimes. Under the Nazi's the building was occupied by the Hungarian Arrow Cross Party, which used the cellar to torture and kill hundreds of people at the same time Jews throughout Hungary were driven west to their destruction.

When Hungary ended up under Soviet occupation in 1945 the building was taken over by the State Security Authority, which used brutal interrogation, extorted confessions and sent their victim to labor camps, prisons or the gallows. Many did not survive the interrogations. It was also chilling to watch videos of large rallies of young people endorsing and cheering the Communist regime early in the occupation, drinking the koolaide of leaders using rhetoric of socialist peace and prosperity.

In the evening we have an early dinner at a restaurant along Ráday Út then catch a tram to the Buda side to attend Swing Concert 2. It is the same band of swing jazz musicians we saw a couple of weeks ago, but this time they are joined by a female singer. Once again it it a wonderful 2 hours. The band is happy for us to take photos and videos, so we do.

After the concert we take the long way home, walking part of the way along the Danube taking photos of the Pest side across the river.

Resting Up

10/27/2018

Saturday we spend close to home, recovering from our Bratislava fun. We walk to the local market to pick up vegetables, fruit and meat. I also want some white wine for cooking and sipping. In the back of the market is a bulk wine store with 6 different wines. I ask for a sample of the Chardonnay. It's not going to win International awards, but it is better than many of the wines made by members of our wine club and better than half of the house wines I've had in the US. The sales woman asks me how many liters I want (they have empty plastic bottles that range from 1 liter to a 5 liter jug). I choose 2 liters, which sets me back the equivalent of $3.45.

We spend much of the rest of the day working on photo's, doing laundry, cooking at home and watching movies. There's also a nap or two involved.

Art Exhibitions

10/21/2018

We have a somewhat lazy start to Saturday; our intent today is to go to the MNG art museum by Buda Castle. Because of our mishap with the street car lines on Thursday evening William is able to map alternative routes to the Google Maps suggested bus transport. The street cars are much more charming (especially if they are not crowded).

The MNG museum by Buda Castle has two special art exhibitions, Frida Kahlo and Bacon, Freud and the London School. The Frida Kahlo exhibition is mentioned in several art lists of exhibitions to see this year, so it seems that we should take a look. We arrive at the MNG and encounter a considerable ticket line. Doh! I should have gone online to see if I could buy tickets in advance. Also, William had suggested entering the museum through another entrance, but I thought we needed the main entrance for the Kahlo tickets - I was wrong.

After an hour queue we enter the Kahlo exhibition along with a horde of other people. It is nicely laid out, providing biographical information about one of Mexico's greatest artists in addition to displaying 30 of her works of art. I am surprised at how closely people can get to the portraits, With the crowds people are frequently are within inches. There is nothing to prohibit touching, although they are protected by glass in the frames. Some of her iconic self-portraits are on display, but my favorite work is of an old woman knitting.

We need to make our way through some of the regular galleries of the MNG to reach the Bacon,Freud exhibition. Along the way we see early church art, various sculptures, and paintings from the 1800's. The painting The Emir of Lebanon catches my eye for it's colors and shading.

The Bacon, Freud and London School exhibition is interesting, but much of it isn't a style that resonates with either of us.

By now we are getting hungry so we decide to return to Ráday street with it's numerous small restaurants to choose from. Today we select a restaurant with mostly Italian food (and some Hungarian favorites). It's another delightful meal, though definitely not low carb.

Synagogue, Cathedral and Lunch with New Friends

10/19/2018

Our apartment is just a few blocks from Great Synagogue or Tabakgasse Synagogue, the largest synagogue in Europe and the second largest in the world. It was built in the mid 1850's in a Moorish Revival style.

The building is on the edge of what once was the Jewish ghetto. During WWII it was used for Nazi radio. Over 2,000 Jews are buried in mass graves in the courtyard. Memorial slates have been inscribed for some and placed around the grave mounds.

The building was restored in the 1990's with mostly state funding. The ark contains various scrolls taken from synagogues destroyed during the holocaust. It contains a large pipe organ, which is unusual for synagogues. We walk through the synagogue as well as the small museum. In the courtyard at the rear of the synagogue is the Memorial of the Hungarian Jewish Martyrs, which resembles a weeping willow tree to honor the 400,000+ Hungarian Jews who were murdered by the Nazi's.

On Friday we meet Conor and Jenny for lunch at Vak Varju, a restaurant recommended by Bence when we checked into the AirBnB. I decide to try something different and select the crispy squealer knuckle with Bavarian cabbage, roasted potato dumpling and rosemary jus. The pigs knuckle has been roasted and then possibly deep fried to crispen the skin. It is flavorful and fun. William, Conor and Jenny also enjoy their meals. We have lively conversation and get to better know one another. After lunch when I visit the ladies room I find it's pretty easy to spot as they have signage in many languages.

After lunch William and I walk to five blocks to St. Stephens Basilica. The new-classical building was completed in 1904 after 50+ years of construction. It is a beautiful building. After walking through the church we pay a small fee to take the elevator to the walkway around the dome for a view of Budapest.

Secret Swing Concerts of Budapest

10/18/2018

We had such a great time on the Fat Boy Foodie Walk we decide to try another AirBnB Experience, this time the Secret Swing Concerts of Budapest.

The venue is the basement of Café Bella on the Buda side. We take the Number 47 street car to the stop right in front of the café, arriving 15 minutes early. Levi, the organizer of the experience, greets us and explains that the venue is not yet open, but we are invited to sit and perhaps have a beverage in the café. Another couple arrives and is told the the same. We invite them to join us. We do introductions all-around and learn that Conor and Jenny are the names of our new acquaintances.

Soon Levi informs us that the venue is ready and the four of us move to the basement. The room is an experience in itself - with brick walls and a bricked arched ceiling. We chat with Conor and Jenny before the band begins and during their break. We learn that they are originally from Ireland, move to Australia (last living in Tasmania), then moved to France near Lyon where they are restoring an old farmhouse. They are well-traveled and a delight.

Levi introduces the the band, Valami Swing, which classifies itself as a gypsy swing band.  There are four members of the band and we have a fantastic time during their two hour concert.  The music is fun to listen to and the members of the band clearly have great joy in playing and entertaining.

After the concert we make plans to meet Conor and Jenny for lunch the next day.  William and I make our way to the middle the street and the stop for the street car.  A yellow car is arriving and we jump on.  The car is supposed to go right, across the bridge, but instead it runs north along the Buda riverside.  Oh Oh - we caught the wrong street car!

We agree that if the street car does not turn right to go across the next bridge we will get off as soon as we can after the bridge.  Yup, that's what we have to do.  William is able to use public wi-fi to show us the stop for the street car across the bridge is only a block away.  That street car takes us to within four blocks of our apartment.  A somewhat adventurous end to an excellent evening.

Parliament

10/17/2018

Budapest has a gorgeous Parliament building on the Pest shore of the Danube. We have booked a tour at 1:30 on Wednesday. I am happy that I booked online, as only a very small number of tickets are available each day for walk-ups.

The Gothic Revival building was completed in 1904 and is reported to include half a million precious stones and 88 lbs of gold leaf.

Our tour guide explains that both the Parliament building and St. Stephan's Cathedral are 96 meters tall - the tallest allowed in Budapest. The number 96 refers to the nation's millennium, 1896, and the conquest of the later Kingdom of Hungary in 896. Both buildings of equal height is to represent the equal importance of church and state. As we walk through the building the gold leaf is readily visible in the ceilings and along some of the walls. Under the central dome we see the royal crown and sword handed down since St. Stephen, but are not allowed to take photos. One of the great halls has interesting statues representing the workers of Hungary.

There are two nearly identical Parliament halls, but only one is now used by the legislature since the upper house of government was dissolved. Lucky for us that makes a hall fully available for viewing. Outside the hall we see the brass cigar holders - used in the days when smoking was allowed in the building but not in the Parliament halls.

The tour is informative and entertaining, and certainly worth the entry fee.